The Brythonic Tribes of Roman Britain The Celtic (Brythonic) tribes of Roman Britain. For a larger version of this map click here or on the map itself (this will open in a new window). The map on the left shows all the major Celtic (Brythonic) tribes of the British mainland. This is based on Roman records circa 120 CE and therefore includes the Belgic tribes (Belgiae, Parisii and Cantiaci, Atrebates) that migrated to Britain before the advancing Romans. It should be noted that only the main Brythonic (ie P-Celtic- speaking) tribes of the mainland are shown. There were several smaller tribes whose existence were known and who were either isolated geographically from the main tribes, or allied to them but these are not presented here. 1 of 9 One of the main sources of information about these tribes is from the Roman writer, Tacitus and much of our information about the tribes of Scotland derives from the geographical writings of Ptolemy. However, both authors were writing from a Roman viewpoint and their works have to be treated with some caution when it comes to their descriptions of the tribes, their beliefs and attributes (this is most especially true of the Caledonian [Scottish] tribes). However, by combining the writings of these Roman authors with modern Archaeological research it is possible to paint a broad-brush picture of many of these tribes. Short Descriptions of the Brythonic Tribes of Roman Britain Dumnonii In terms of territory, the Dumnonii occupied one of the largest regions of Britain, with their territory occupying modern Cornwall, Devon and parts of Southern Somerset. As a peoples, they did not appear to use coins, nor did they have any large settlements which might act as the political centres for the tribe and (until post-Roman times there is no evidence for a dynasty of Dumnonian kings. As a result most commentators believe that the Dumnonii were in fact a confederation of a number of smaller tribes. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Dumnonii lived in small farmsteads, often surrounded by large walls or ramparts. There is also evidence from pottery that the Dumnonii had strong links with Armorica (Brittany) a link that was maintained well into post-Roman times. Interestingly, the Dumnonii seem to have presented little resistance to the Roman conquest and as a result the region was never heavily garrisoned. This may be one of the reasons that the Dumnonii never fully-adopted the Roman way of life. The Romans granted them civitas status and their administrative centre was at Isca Dumnoniorum (Exeter). In post-Roman times the Dumnonian line became one of the most important of the Brythonic royal houses and many of the early Brythonic kings (including Arthur) claim descent from this royal lineage. Durotriges The territory of the Durotriges was centred around modern Dorset (though it seems also to have included southern Wiltshire and Somerset as well). The Durotriges lived in a mineral-rich area and minted coins well before the Roman invasion. They also had varying burial practices with one group, centred around modern Dorchester employing inhumation (rather than the more typical cremational) cemeteries. This and the lack of any indication of a royal lineage has led to the supposition that the Durotriges were also a confederation of smaller tribes. Although atypical at the time, the Durotriges represent what we think of today as the archetypal Celtic peoples in that they still occupied hillforts. Indeed, many of the most famous hillforts (Maiden Castle, South Cadbury Castle and Hod Hill) were all occupied by the Durotriges. Though there was a major port at Hengistbury Head in the lands of the Durotriges (from which trade with Gaul was controlled) the Durotriges themselves seem to have been disdainful of these imported goods and tended to use local pottery produced at Poole Harbour. During the time of the Roman invasion the Durotriges put up a spirited opposition, and if Suetonius is to be believed then the Durotriges represent on of the two tribes that fought against Vespasian and the second legion. Despite their opposition, the Durotriges were made into a civitas after the conquest, with an administrative capital at Durnovaria (Dorchester). About half a century later and a second Durotrigian civitas was created, this time administered from Lindinis (Ilchester). Belgiae The Belgiae seem to present something of a mystery to us. The name itself is probably Roman, who applied the term Belgiae to almost all the tribes of north-western Gaul. As a result the Belgiae of Britain were probably not a native Brythonic tribe, but rather may represent an influx of peoples from Gaul who were probably not of the same tribe but aggregated together because of shared language and culture. 2 of 9 Even the territory occupied by these Belgiae is something of a mystery. In his Geography, Ptolemy records the territory of the Belgae as including the areas of modern Winchester and Bath as well as an unidentified settlement he called Ischalis. This would seem to give the tribal area a very strange shape and would squash it between the lands of the much stronger Durotriges, Atrebates and Dobunni. Yet, it is known that the administrative capital of the Belgae was at Venta Belgarum (Winchester) so that Ptolemy may be correct. Perhaps the lands of the Belgae represent a carve-up by the extant colonial powers (the Romans) and thus it may well have been an artificial creation (something similar happened to the realm of the Regni, as described below). Regni Before the Roman conquest the area of West Sussex occupied by the Regni during Roman times was a part of the lands of the Atrebates. Partly because of existing strong links with Gaul and partly due to the rise of a new ruler (Togidubnus) Chichester and the surrounding area became an important centre in the period just prior to the Roman invasion and also served as one of the bases for the Roman invasion itself. Because of the aid afforded to the Romans by Togidubnus Chichester and the surrounding area became a client kingdom rather than a direct part of the Roman province of Britannia (until Togidubnus' death at least). With the passing of Togidubnus the territory of the Atrebates was split into three separate civitae with the Regni being the civitas centred on Chichester that administered West Sussex. It may be that the Regni were a separate tribe, a client of the Atrebates; though it is equally possible that this 'tribe' is a Roman invention. Cantiaci These were the peoples of northern and western Kent (and it is from them that Kent itself derives its name). The Cantiaci had very strong links with northern Gaul and they buried their dead in the Gaulish manner (the burial of cremated remains). It is quite possible that the Cantiaci were an admixture of native peoples and immigrants from northern Gaul, which would certainly explain the links between these peoples. Prior to the Roman conquest the Cantiaci became a member of the large confederation of peoples led by Cunobelinus and after the conquest they became an independent civitas centred around their principal settlement at Durovernum Catiacorum (Canterbury). Trinovantes The Trinovantes are first mentioned by Julius Caesar in his de Bello Gallico (on the Gallic Wars), appearing the account of his (abortive) invasion of Britain in 54 BCE. From Caesar's account it seems as if by this time the Trinovantes were already engaged in a power struggle with the neighbouring Atrebates and the tribes that were soon to be forged into the Catuvellauni under the leadership of Tasciovanus to the west. Though there may already have existed some kind of relationship between the Catuvellauni, the Trinovantes and the Cantiaci in that they shared funerary practices, agricultural practices and used money as well as eating from plates and drinking from cups. The king of the Catuvellauni, Cunobelinos eventually forged the Catuvellauni, Cantiaci and Trinovantes into a single large kingdom, establishing Colchester as a new royal site. This was one of the reasons that Colchester became a major target for Claudius' invasion of Britain in 43 CE. However, the alliance was disbanded after the Roman invasion and the Trinovantes were restored as a tribal entity, with a tribal capital at Camulodunum (Colchester). Atrebates The Atrebates are another Brythonic tribe that share a name with a Gaulish tribe that inhabited modern-day Belgium. In this case the name of the tribe is suggestive of their nature, as Atrebates can be derived from the reconstructed proto-Celtic elements: *attrebƒ (settlement) and *atē (they who). Thus the Atrebates are 'they who [form] settlements', or more succinctly 'the settlers'. It may well be that the Atrebates were peripatetic by nature, forming settlements as they traversed the breadth of Europe. Of these settlements only the ones in Britain and Belgium survived into historic times. The Belgic and British tribe may well have had strong links even into Roman times. It is certainly true that Commas, leader of the Belgian Atrebates fled to Britain during Julius Caesar's Gallic wars and that a Commius then appears as the ruler of the British Atrebates. At the time of the Roman invasion they were second only to the Catuvellauni in terms of power and like their neighbours they minted their own coins and had numerous contacts with Gaul. At the height of their power Aterbatian lands stretched from modern-day West Sussex all the way up to Hampshire and Berkshire. The extent of their territory suggests that they were a conglomeration of tribes ruled over by a single dynastic family. Certainly, the peoples subsequently known as the Regni were part of the Atrebates prior to the Roman invasion 3 of 9 (see above).